Friday was a double buzzkill for anyone hoping to score some pot or liquor in Quebec.
Two days after admitting to running low on supplies, Quebec Cannabis Corp. announced its stores would be staying closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays until further notice.
And to toss some salt in that wound, Quebec’s liquor stores declared a surprise strike on Friday as well.
The SAQ closure is part of an ongoing series of sporadic strike days launched by liquor store employees who’ve worked without a collective agreement since spring of 2017. Liquor stores will reopen on Saturday – but pot shops could be coming up short for months.
On Wednesday, the SQDC said it was anticipating at least several months of supply problems, with shortages maybe even lasting a year.
"In the current state the continued operation of the branch network will be a challenge," they said in a statement.
Their challenges aren’t unique, though. Demand in other provinces is also dominating the supply chain with no easy end in sight.
The one bright side for Quebec consumers is that their online retailer will still be open 24/7 – though the high volume of purchases and a rotating Canada Post strike has the organization warning that fulfilling orders could still take days longer than anticipated.